Ukraine welcomes agile armour it hopes will give it a fighting edge

French troops on an AMX-10 during a training exercise in France. Ukraine’s military have successfully emphasised speed and mobility – not least in its successful counteroffensives in both the east and south against Russian forces. Photograph: Gouhier Nicolas/ABACA/REX/Shutterstock

On the roads leading to Ukraine’s frontlines, a striking change has become visible in recent months.

Where once the armoured vehicles being ferried in were familiar from the Soviet era – T-model tanks, BMPs and post-Soviet Ukrainian-built BTRs – they have in recent months been joined by a growing array of western-supplied vehicles.